Excerpt: I’m honestly disturbed that a man from New York thought it was okay to threaten to kill Hakeem Jeffries. This country has gone too far with the hate and extremist talk. When did we lose control of basic humanity?

Posted by Shean

When I saw the news that a man named Christopher Moynihan was arrested for threatening to kill Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, I just sat there shaking my head. This was the same guy who had already been convicted of charges related to the January 6th Capitol attack, and now here he is again—talking about killing a sitting member of Congress “for the future.” I don’t even know what that’s supposed to mean. What “future” are you saving if you’re willing to destroy your own life and take someone else’s? It feels like people like him are so deep in their hate and delusion that they’ve completely lost touch with reality.

This is not about politics anymore. This is about humanity. Somewhere along the line, people started believing that violence, threats, and intimidation are acceptable tools to get their way. It’s insane. Whether you agree or disagree with Hakeem Jeffries doesn’t matter—he’s a public servant, elected by the people to do a job. The man has a family. He walks around his district like anyone else. Imagine waking up and hearing that someone wants to kill you for simply doing your job. How does that make any sense?

The part that scares me most is how normalized this type of behavior has become since 2016. Ever since Trump’s rise to power, it’s like something snapped in the psyche of a certain part of the population. They think they’re soldiers fighting a holy war for their political beliefs. They’ve been fed a steady diet of conspiracy theories and told that their political enemies are evil or out to destroy the country. That’s not democracy—that’s cult behavior. And when you mix that delusion with guns, rage, and online echo chambers, you end up with exactly what we’re seeing now: people willing to kill in the name of “saving America.”

I think what bothers me even more is how quiet some people are about it. You can’t say you love America and freedom, but stay silent when extremists threaten to murder elected officials. It doesn’t work like that. If this had been someone threatening a Republican lawmaker, the right-wing media would’ve blown it up nonstop. But because it’s Hakeem Jeffries—a Democrat and a Black man from New York—some people will try to justify it, ignore it, or twist it into something else entirely. It’s disgusting.

And let’s not forget, this guy wasn’t just some random angry citizen. He was already convicted for his role in January 6th, which means he’s one of those people who physically tried to overturn the results of a democratic election. He already showed that he has no respect for law or order. So why was someone like that even walking around free, still able to make threats like this? That’s a question that needs answering. If our justice system is serious about stopping domestic terrorism, then why are repeat offenders being given so much leeway?

At this point, I think America has to admit it has a domestic terrorism problem—especially among far-right extremists who think they’re patriots. You can’t wrap a flag around hate and call it love for your country. Threatening to kill people because of political differences isn’t “patriotism.” It’s terrorism, plain and simple. It’s no different from what we condemn in other parts of the world, except this time it’s homegrown. It’s people who look like our neighbors, our coworkers, maybe even our relatives, who’ve fallen into a dark, hateful mindset.

I know people like to say “it’s just words,” but words are dangerous when they’re fueled by hate. Every assassination attempt, every hate crime, every act of violence begins with someone talking about it, convincing themselves that their anger is righteous. That’s why these threats have to be taken seriously every single time. Because all it takes is one person who decides to act.

I honestly feel for Hakeem Jeffries and his family. No one should have to live in fear because they’re serving in government. The fact that someone had to alert the FBI before this man could carry out his plan just shows how important it is for people to speak up when they hear threats like this. Staying silent can cost lives.

It’s time people start realizing that democracy doesn’t survive when hatred runs wild. You can’t love America and hate half the people in it. You can’t wave the flag and then threaten to kill your fellow citizens. That’s not freedom—that’s hypocrisy. Until we face that truth, until we start calling out extremists on both sides without excuses, this cycle of violence isn’t going to stop.

I’m just tired, man. Tired of seeing the same headlines, tired of pretending this is normal. It’s not. America is supposed to be better than this. And if we’re not, then we’ve got to decide right now who we really are—because the future that guy claimed he was fighting for? That’s not a future I want any part of.